Online casinos: the government launches a consultation with all stakeholders

Launching this first meeting on the legalization of online casinos, Laurent Saint-Martin confirmed to the participants the government’s decision not to include provisions on the subject in the draft budget. Amendment of the PLF provided to allow online casinos in France (and thus tax them). Due to the uproar caused by this non-debated measure upstream, the government backed it and this amendment was withdrawn (see our article of October 28).

“With the related ministries, we share the observation and the need for real consultation with a clear agenda” to “clarify the future options”, said the minister, hoping that the This “general information procedure” and these exchanges. As a result there will be “calm foundations set to suit everyone”.

The meeting brought together nearly fifty representatives from gambling and opportunity operators, both physical and online, stakeholders in public health and the fight against addiction, several parliamentarians, as well on representatives from local elected officials associations. It was held in the presence of the National Gaming Authority and representatives of all relevant ministries: Economy and Finance, Tourism, Partnership with the regions, Interior, Health.

A cycle of “technical meetings” will open for three months, under the supervision of central administrative departments and the National Games Authority. The first repayment of the work will be done in the first quarter of 2025.

The consultation will be structured around three working groups, specifying the Bercy press release, one on the prevention of slavery, another on the protection of people and the prevention of risks of harm to public order through human trafficking, money laundering or identity theft. The third will be related to the economic effects, both for the region and the territories that host physical casinos, “paying particular attention to issues related to employment and tourist attraction.

The possibility of legalizing online casinos, long sought by online gaming operators, had caused a strong reaction from traditional casinos, which had warned of “disastrous effects” on earnings and the activity. At least 130 mayors of cities with casinos also came forward to warn of the many consequences of the “unregulated opening” of online casinos. The elected officials recalled in a column published on October 24 (see our article) that “corporate casinos play a fundamental role in the local economy”: “They generate 60,000 jobs, and help finance essential local public services (…). The mayors, however, believed that it was “possible to create a secure framework for the opening of online casinos, which could benefit public and local finances, especially by relying on the knowledge of – physical casino operation”.

“The Association of French Mayors intervened to cancel the change,” said its president, David Lisnard, on the eve of this meeting in Bercy. And the elected official sees in this provision finally withdrawn a good example of “good intentions with bad territorial effect”. Insisting that he is “not against legalizing online games”, he believes there is a risk that the negotiations will take “months” because the equation is delicate. This will primarily involve “finding a fair system” including both the issue of slavery and the issue of “territorial equality“, but also achieving a “fair distribution of the financial resources”.